After the successful capture of the previous day, the 38°S 70°W , the Fellowship of the Confluences departed at 8:30 a.m to the Andes mountains.

Nevertheless, I set off a bit earlier in order to get the keys that would open us the door to the path to the Buraleo´s river valley. For this, I had arranged a meeting with some people of CORFONE (Corporación Forestal del Neuquén) at Las Ovejas town.

All group would meet again at the confluence of Buraleo and Nahueve rivers, aside of the route to the Epulafquen Lagoons, with the tanks filled and enough food for two days, just in case.

Through Paco, my great friend Sebastián Calvi’s brother, I had got the access for a field of CORFONE to the zone of the Buraleo river. He was not there, but Omar Encinas and his wife, Mariela, not only granted us the access but also they accompanied us in order to see how to forded the Nahueve river to the north of the Buraleo river and they told us that we could attempt a complete round trip returning by Bellavista, several kilometres to the south.

Being almost 12:00 a.m., we forded the Nahueve river without difficulties and we entered in the plantation of pines of CORFONE, where multitude of paths and fire walls opened up like fans, that led to us several fruitless intents of advance toward the west, since we didn't have so detailed cartographic information of this area, since the plantations are quite new. Nevertheless, after several rodeos, we found the exit to the west that would lead to us the end of the valley of the Buraleo river where we would attack the unknown confluence 37°S 71°W, surely climbing the last two kilometres on foot, with something of practice of trekking in the mountains.

We crossed several tributary streams of the Buraleo river by an amusing zigzagging path and we arrived to the border of the glacier valley that houses it, about 400 meters above the riverbed.

There, some close snails that remembered to a miniature of those of the Cerro Áspero in the province of Córdoba, were to deposit us in the bottom of the valley. The elbows were so close that to required at least two movements, still with the small Suzuki Vitara.

An almost new Unimog of Gendarmería Nacional fallen dozens of meters below, put us in alert that we should be careful during the descent. If somebody needs spare parts of Unimog, they are to disposition, since I don't believe that someone at some time would try to recover it. But, who need them must go hurry, because for the next weeks there are announced snows and hard rains. The access probably will be impossible until the middle of the next summer.

We lowered and we faced the west by a track that sometimes disappeared, crossing dried tributary riverbeds of the Buraleo river, one after another. The meridian 71 approached quickly completing it to the perfection the cartographic predictions of office.

Nearly arriving to the meridian, the gulch of the stream of the Nalcas that we had savoured in the Google Earth toward the north opened up to our eyes.

We went into a bit with the vehicles but big stones quickly closed the progress. A peasant looked unbelievably how six pick-up’s ran among the stones toward no where, more agilely than his goats.

We were at 1800 plane meters from the confluence but it was necessary to climb almost 400 meters difference up, since we were at 1485 and the confluence, nearly at 1900 meters of the sea level. Until here, the approaching work was made in team with the pickups and now it was necessary to walk and climb.

Now, the Fellowship of the Confluences left alone to Frodo, i.e me, so I had to go myself to carry out the ring, sorry, the GPS, until the confluence. Certain discussions inside the group did more real the parallel with the argument of Tolkien´s book.

With my brother Fabio and my son Pablo, we charged with the equipment, food and water and left toward the objective, while the rest ate lunch to go to make a survey toward the west in order to see if any mountain range path was accessible for 4WD later, while they waited for us. We would be in radial contact just in case.

The climbing was very hard, because, in order not to go up with very high slope we decided to go up smoothly for the hillside where the confluence should be instead of trekking by the bed of the stream of The Nalcas. The problem is that the hillside was crossed by multitude of areas with weak rocks that made each crossing more dangerous. Although the gradients weren’t very strong, the stream of The Nalcas was very far below.

After two hours we were at 1700 meters of sea level and at 400 meters straight line meters of the confluence. There, we decided to unfold us and that I myself try to arrive so as to have return with daylight, since the final step seemed difficult.

I began to ascend the last step, with many gradients, and I climbed with the high enthusiasm of reaching the objective. I took me an hour and a half to reach the zone of successful visit; evidently it isn’t the same the approach in plane surfaces that in inclined areas. It seemed that the magic circle of the 100 meters never arrived. The goats looked at me from the edge of the mountain not very distant and any condor will have thought of an unusual menu, while I took the photos to the GPS and to the surroundings in very bad conditions of equilibrium.

I had achieved a new confluence, the most difficult of all visited by me. I had not considered the descent, though. p>

Paradoxically, it made me go up the adrenaline, because the graveness, so difficult to conquer up is invincible when the floor is composed of unstable rolling stones. I had to measure each step in order not to slide and generate stones alluvium down that I had no idea how could finish. Well, I knew it, actually.

My brother, who has any experience of mountaineering, from below (with a better perspective) guided me to the screams meanwhile Pablito was left covered for an eaves, as a shelter of potential falls of rocks. Finally the descent was achieved without consequences to be together again.

Starting from there, the descent of the three of us was very slow, because the complications of the crossing of the unstable rolling stones, added to the natural fatigue of the walk, attempted against our speed, while the evening languished.

After 6 hours of trekking, we were in the riverbed of the Buraleo again, with the enormous satisfaction of being the owners of a difficult trophy, which surely will demand much time until somebody attempts and achieves the visit #2. This time, the Fellowship of the Confluences had saved the Earth.

The trip continued returning at night to Las Ovejas town for the same road we had taken first, with a delicious camp in the banks of the Nahueve river, in the place “Los Carrizos” .

The following day, we dedicated to the attempt of opening the transverse path Buta Mallín - Moncol. The 38°S 70°W was left for another opportunity, since the time had finished for us. p>